Saroj Lal obituary

My mother, Saroj Lal, who has died aged 82, was a pioneering force in Scottish race relations during the 1970s, 80s and 90s. A feminist and trailblazer for equal opportunities, as director of Lothian Racial Equality Council (LREC) she was at the forefront of race relations during a period of immense political and social change. Always impeccably dressed in her trademark sari, she rose to the challenge with verve and determination.

Never afraid to challenge the establishment, in her role with LREC, she worked with public and third sector agencies – including the Home Office, NHS and police – to champion the rights of the disadvantaged and the voiceless. In 1986 she was the first Asian woman in ­Scotland to be appointed as a justice of the peace.

Saroj was born in Gujranwala (then in British India), daughter of Behari Lal Chanana, a businessman and Congress party politician, and his wife, Wazir Devi Khurana, who died when Saroj was very young. Her early years were marked by the turmoil of Partition.

She attended Kanya Maha Vidyalaya school, Jalandhar, and in 1962 graduated with an MA in economics from Panjab University in Chandigarh. She taught briefly before her marriage to Amrit Lal, an engineer. The couple migrated to Edinburgh in the late 1960s, where Saroj combined raising a young family with furthering her education. She trained as a teacher at Moray House College of Education, and then taught at South Morningside primary school from 1970 to 1973. That year she began volunteering with the YWCA, which led to her becoming a community worker with the Roundabout International Centre. In 1980 she moved to LREC, becoming its director in 1990.

Working with Lothian and Borders police, Saroj helped to draw up a working definition of racist attacks, to introduce regular monitoring of racist incidents, and to increase the profile of black and minority ethnic communities within the police force. At the time this was a predominantly a male world and an often sexist environment. It didn’t stop her.

Saroj worked hard to improve all aspects of life in Edinburgh’s minority ethnic communities. She set up a continuation course at Telford College to persuade more Asian girls to pursue higher education. She secured funding – first from Comic Relief and then from Lothian regional council – for Milan, a support group for older people from south Asia. She led the early development of the Edinburgh Hindu temple, and set up the city’s first interpreting and translating service for the local authority.

After retiring in 1996, Saroj returned to teaching as a supply teacher in primary schools, was chair of Nari Kallyan Shangho, a project designed to offer support to south Asian women, and she continued to be an active member of Edinburgh Hindu temple.

Saroj is survived by Amrit, their daughter, Kavita, and me, and by her granddaughter, Isha.